neek-breek, breek-neek
Neekerbreekers were abominable and evil insects dwelling in the reeds and tussocks of the Midgewater Marshes.[1]
History
The origin of these creatures is unknown, though they "were evil relatives of the cricket" because of their sound. On 2 October in T.A. 3018, Strider led the Hobbits to Weathertop. While in the Midgewater Marshes, the group decided to make camp, though as night fell, most of the group found themselves unable to sleep as a consequence of reportedly hearing thousands of "Neekerbreekers", as Sam called them.[1]
Etymology
"Neekerbreeker" was an "insect-name" that was named so because of their sound, perhaps "like that of a cricket".[2]
Other versions of the legendarium
In an early draft of the chapter "A Knife in the Dark", the creatures known as Neekerbreekers were unnamed and described as being "over-grown cousins of the cricket" because the sound they made was "shriller… and even more persistent" than a cricket.[3]
Inspiration
It may be possible that these creatures were related to the Gryllidae cricket family.[4]
Portrayal in adaptations
1982-97: Middle-earth Role Playing:
- In the 1994 Creatures of Middle-earth: A Bestiary of Animals and Monsters supplement, Neekerbreekers are "relatives of the mosquito" instead of the cricket and are described as solid meat carnivores that are 1-2 inches tall. Waybread and foul swamps attracts them. An illness called Yellow Rheum can be contracted by Neekerbreekers through bites.[5]
2011: The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game:
- In a card set called The Nîn-in-Eilph, "Neekerbreekers" is the name of an enemy card that can cause a player to deal two damage to a controlled ally if used.[6]
2007: The Lord of the Rings Online:
- Neekerbreekers appear in many locations throughout The Lord of the Rings Online. While most appear hostile, one Neekerbreeker named Sniken was taken as a pet by a Bree-lander named Roderik Neeker-friend. Roderick tasks the player character with hunting sickle-fly wings to provide food for Sniken. When Roderick tries feeding the wings to Snicken, his hands are nearly purposefully bitten off.
External links
- Jason Fisher, "Beware the Neekerbreekers" 16 November 2011, Lingwë - Musings of a Fish, accessed 19 November 2011
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, "A Knife in the Dark"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, "Nomenclature of The Lord of the Rings" in Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull (eds), The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion, p. 760
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Return of the Shadow, "The First Phase: IX. Trotter and the Journey to Weathertop", p. 166
- ↑ Mark Fisher, "Neekerbreekers" 11 April 2021, The Encyclopedia of Arda, accessed 8 December 2024
- ↑ Creatures of Middle-earth: A Bestiary of Animals and Monsters (2nd edition), pp. 17-20
- ↑ The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game, The Nîn-in-Eilph